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Iran
The Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in the southwest of Asia, and in the Middle East. It is an Islamic Republic. The country borders Pakistan and Afghanistan to the east; the Soviet Union in the north ;Turkey and Iraq to the west and finally the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to the south. Iran is home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BCE. Throughout history, Iran has been of geostrategic importance because of its central location in Eurasia and is a regional power. Iran is a founding member of the NAM, OIC, and OPEC. The political system of Iran, based on the 1979 Constitution, comprises several intricately connected governing bodies. Iran occupies an important position in international energy security and world economy due to its large reserves of petroleum and natural gas. The name Iran is a cognate of Aryan, and means "Land of the Aryans". Geography Total area: 1,648,000 km2; land area: 1,636,000 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than Alaska Land boundaries: 5,492 km total; Afghanistan 936 km, Iraq 1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, USSR 1,690 km Coastline: 3,180 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: not specific; Exclusive fishing zone: 50 nm in the Sea of Oman, median-line boundaries in the Persian Gulf; Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: Iran began formal peace negotiations with Iraq in August 1988 to end the war that began on 22 September 1980--troop withdrawal, freedom of navigation, sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab waterway and prisoner-of-war exchange are the major issues for negotiation; Kurdish question among Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the USSR; occupies three islands in the Persian Gulf claimed by UAE (Jazireh-ye Abu Musa or Abu Musa, Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg or Greater Tunb, and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek or Lesser Tunb); periodic disputes with Afghanistan over Helmand water rights; Boluch question with Afghanistan and Pakistan Climate: mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast Terrain: rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur Land use: 8% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 27% meadows and pastures; 11% forest and woodland; 54% other; includes 2% irrigated Environment: deforestation; overgrazing; desertification People Population: 55,647,001 (July 1990), growth rate 3.1% (1990) Birth rate: 45 births/1,000 population (1990) Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1990) Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990) Infant mortality rate: 91 deaths/1,000 live births (1990) Life expectancy at birth: 62 years male, 63 years female (1990) Total fertility rate: 6.3 children born/woman (1990) Nationality: noun--Iranian(s); adjective--Iranian Ethnic divisions: 51% Persian, 25% Azerbaijani, 9% Kurd, 8% Gilaki and Mazandarani, 2% Lur, 1% Baloch, 1% Arab, 3% other Religion: 95% Shia Muslim, 4% Sunni Muslim, 2% Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Bahai Language: 58% Persian and Persian dialects, 26% Turkic and Turkic dialects, 9% Kurdish, 2% Luri, 1% Baloch, 1% Arabic, 1% Turkish, 2% other Literacy: 48% (est.) Labor force: 15,400,000; 33% agriculture, 21% manufacturing; shortage of skilled labor (1988 est.) Organized labor: none Government Long-form name: Islamic Republic of Iran Type: theocratic republic Capital: Tehran Administrative divisions: 24 provinces (ostanha, singular--ostan); Azarbayjan-e Bakhtari, Azarbayjan-e Khavari, Bakhtaran, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va Buyer Ahmadi, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan Independence: 1 April 1979, Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed Constitution: 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency Legal system: the new Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government National holiday: Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979) Executive branch: cleric (faqih), president, Council of Cabinet Ministers Legislative branch: unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis-e-Shura-e-Islami) Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Cleric and functional Chief of State--Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 3 June 1989); Head of Government--President Hashemi BAHRAMANI (since 3 August 1989); Political parties and leaders: there are at least seven licensed parties; the two most important are--Militant Clerics Association, Mehdi Mahdavi-Karubi and Mohammad Asqar Musavi-Khoinima; Fedaiyin Islam Organization, Sadeq Khalkhali Suffrage: universal at age 15 Elections: President--last held NA July 1989 (next to be held April 1993); results--Hashemi BAHRAMANI was elected with only token opposition; Islamic Consultative Assembly--last held 8 April and 13 May 1988 (next to be held April 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(270 seats total) number of seats by party NA Communists: 1,000 to 2,000 est. hardcore; 15,000 to 20,000 est. sympathizers; crackdown in 1983 crippled the party; trials of captured leaders began in late 1983 and remain incomplete Other political or pressure groups: groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Hizballah, Hojjatiyeh Society, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam; armed political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the government include Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), People's Fedayeen, and Kurdish Democratic Party; the Society for the Defense of Freedom is a group of liberal nationalists that has been repressed by the government for accusing it of corruption Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah) in red is centered in the white band; Allah Akbar (God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band Economy Overview: Since the 1979 revolution, the banks, petroleum industry, transportation, utilities, and mining have been nationalized, but the new five-year plan--the first since the revolution--passed in January 1990, calls for the transfer of many government-controlled enterprises to the private sector. War-related disruptions, massive corruption, mismanagement, demographic pressures, and ideological rigidities have kept economic growth at depressed levels. Oil accounts for 90% of export revenues. A combination of war damage and low oil prices brought a 2% drop in GNP in 1988. GNP probably rose slightly in 1989, considerably short of the 3.4% population growth rate in 1989. Heating oil and gasoline are rationed. Agriculture has suffered from the war, land reform, and shortages of equipment and materials. The five-year plan seeks to reinvigorate the economy by increasing the role of the private sector, boosting nonoil income, and securing foreign loans. The plan is overly ambitious but probably will generate some short-term relief. Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50-80% (1989) Unemployment rate: 30% (1989) Industrial production: growth rate NA% Electricity: 14,579,000 kW capacity; 40,000 million kWh produced, 740 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other building materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating (steel and copper) Agriculture: principal products--rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar; not self-sufficient in food Illicit drugs: illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic and international drug trade Currency: Iranian rial (plural--rials); 1 Iranian rial (IR) = 100 dinars; note--domestic figures are generally referred to in terms of the toman (plural--tomans), which equals 10 rials Exchange rates: Iranian rials (IR) per US$1--70.019 (January 1990), 72.015 (1989), 68.683 (1988), 71.460 (1987), 78.760 (1986), 91.052 (1985) Fiscal year: 21 March-20 March Communications Railroads: 4,601 km total; 4,509 km 1.432-meter gauge, 92 km 1.676-meter gauge; 730 km under construction from Bafq to Bandar Abbas Highways: 140,072 km total; 46,866 km gravel and crushed stone; 49,440 km improved earth; 42,566 km bituminous and bituminous-treated surfaces; 1,200 km (est.) of rural road network Inland waterways: 904 km; the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km, but closed since September 1980 because of Iran-Iraq war Pipelines: crude oil, 5,900 km; refined products, 3,900 km; natural gas, 3,300 km Ports: Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Bandar Beheshti, Bandar-e Abbas, Bandar-e Bushehr, Bandar-e Khomeyni, Bandar-e Shahid Rajai, Khorramshahr (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war) Merchant marine: 133 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,631,836 GRT/8,662,454 DWT; includes 36 cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 33 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3 refrigerated cargo, 49 bulk, 2 combination bulk Civil air: 42 major transport aircraft Airports: 201 total, 175 usable; 82 with permanent-surface runways; 17 with runways over 3,659 m; 17 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 68 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in Tehran; 2,143,000 telephones; stations--62 AM, 30 FM, 250 TV; satellite earth stations--2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; HF and microwave to Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, and USSR Defense Forces Branches: Islamic Republic of Iran Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, and Revolutionary Guard Corps (includes Basij militia and own ground, air, and naval forces), Gendarmerie Military manpower: males 15-49, 12,302,967; 7,332,614 fit for military service; 569,647 reach military age (21) annually Defense expenditures: 8% of GNP, or $7.8 billion (1989 est.)